The Adventures of River Song in the Data Core
by Princessa Mia
Summary: In the Data Core River can't help but miss the Doctor. She wishes for kids, and that's exactly what CAL gives her. River begins to raise them, and even love them, even though they're only programs. Suddenly the Doctor comes knocking on her doorstep with a way to let her leave the Data Core, and leave her kids behind. Can she do it? Or will she stay with her virtual kids?
1. Chapter 1

It's funny. One minute I'm in the Library with the Doctor, and I was dying, the next, I'm in this grassy place. Why am I not dead? And I'm not wearing my space suit either. I'm wearing a dress. A cream white. This whole place is odd. Where am I? Maybe this is heaven? I doubted it. In heaven you're with lost loved ones and such. I seemed to be on my own. Wait. No, I'm not alone. There's a little girl here with a man. That girl... It's CAL. Luxe's grandfather's daughter. Luxe's aunt. I must have somehow been plugged into the hard drive. That man. My Doctor. He always finds a way doesn't he? I turn around and see my crew. Luxe's crew. My companions. The ones who had died. Here, I'll be safe. And I won't be alone.

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	2. Chapter 2

It's been years, or maybe just minutes later, I can't stop thinking about children. What if I hadn't died? Would the Doctor and I eventually have a family? No, that was ridiculous. He's the Doctor, he doesn't like change. I remembered how Amy had told me that the Doctor seemed to think that Amy being pregnant was a nightmare. Maybe it was, because I happened. I turned his whole world upside down. I smiled. What about our children? We were married for goodness sake. Would they have red hair like Amy? Or would they be brunettes? Would they have one of the Doctor's smiles? That look in his eye when he becomes excited over all those little things? Suddenly, CAL appeared with Dr. Moon.

"You want children, do you not?" She asked me.

"You want the children you could have had?"

"Yes. Yes I do." I said.

"I can create some for you. They would only be programs, but I can do match ups and crossovers to make them as realistic as possible in correlation to the Doctor. Would you like that?" She asked. I thought for a moment. Did I really want pretend children? Well, I was going to be here for eternity, I might as well have an idea what it is like to be a mother.

"Yes. I would like that very much CAL. Thank you."

"Searching databases. Accurate matches available." All of a sudden, I was in a hospital bed, wearing a plastic gown. And there, in three little beds beside me were my children. Triplets by the look of it. CAL had given me three beautiful babies. It was hard to believe that they were only programs. I got up to stand over my children. There was one boy and two girls. I picked up the boy first. He had Amy's red hair.

"Well hello little one. I'm your mummy. Did you know that you were given to me by a sweet little girl? Well, she's a computer too. It's all very complicated. Would you like to meet your sisters?" I showed him the other children lying in their tiny beds.

"Those are your sisters. And I am your mummy. I still need to name you all. What shall I call you? Trevor? No. Darcy? No, it's a little too girly don't you think?" I paused. What shall I name him? I wanted it to be special, but I didn't want to forget that the baby was still only a program.

"I know. Centurion. How about that? Do you like it?" Centurion gurgled. I took it for a yes. I smiled. Rory, my father, the Last Centurion. He is the last. That will help me remember the baby is a program, but at the same time, he will remind of my father. The man that protected Amy for 2,000 years. He's older than the Doctor. That just proves how far love can go. Love has no limits.I gently placed Centurion back in his little hospital bed and picked one of my two little girls. This girl, her eyes were a deep blue. I knew exactly what her name was to be.

"Hello my little Tardis." I whispered. "I'm your mummy. And I'm going to take very good care of you. You might think it's silly that I named you after that police box. But let me tell you. That police box is strong. She always took us where me and the Doctor were supposed to be, even if it wasn't where we expected to go. She was very wise. And I have a feeling you're going to be very smart. Oh yes, my little Tardis, you are going to be very smart." I kissed her forehead and laid Tardis gently back down on her bed.

I picked up my last little girl. This little one had curly, curly, chocolate brown hair. And her eyes seemed to know everything. Spoilers, she seemed to be saying. I couldn't call her just Spoilers though, that was ridiculous. Then it hit me.

"Hello Donna Spoilers. Yes, to the world, this name is probably the most ridiculous name. But there's meaning to me. This name will remind me that Donna Noble used to be here. The Doctor's very close friend, was saved on this hard drive, just like I am now. And do you know what else? The last word I ever said to the Doctor. That word, do you know what it was? It was "spoilers." I defended his future, my past, with my last breath. I gave up my life so that there will be a future with me for him. I gave up my life because there were too many points in time that they can't all be rewritten. So Donna Spoilers, I want to remember that always. But do you know what? I know you're going to turn out wonderfully. And do you know how I know that? It is because I am going to raise you. My little Donna. We'll have lots of fun with your siblings, won't we? Oh yes. There are many fun days ahead for us."

I laid Donna down in her bed. I looked at my three children. Centurion, Tardis, and Donna. Yes, there were wonderful days ahead for us.

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**Please review and tell me how I'm doing! Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks! -Princessa Mia**


	3. Chapter 3

"Look Mummy! Look what I made!" 7 year old Centurion said, running to me. I caught him in a hug.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a magic wand! Like the one the Doctor has!" He held up a stick, painted grey, with a small green bouncy ball stuck at the end of it.

"The Doctor doesn't have a magic wand. It's a screwdriver." Tardis said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, it's used as a magic wand. He doesn't build things with it." Centurion counters.

"You two. The Doctor does both. It's a screwdriver and a magic wand. It is just that special." I tell them.

"Tell us a Doctor story mummy! Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?" Donna asks.

I smile. Ever since they were born, I told them stories of the Doctor. It helped me remember. I didn't want to forget anything.

"Alright. Gather round you three." I said, bringing my seven year old children close. "What story would you like?"

"I want the Doctor and the Pandorica." said Centurion

"No! Tell the story when the Doctor almost dies, but then the lady that poisoned him decides to save him!" said Donna.

"I like the story when the Doctor marries that lady. And for your information Donna, her name is Melody." said Tardis.

"Melody schmelody. That's when her and the Doctor kiss. Ewwww." said Centurion.

"I think it's romantic." sighs Donna.

Little do my children know, Melody is me. Sometimes Dave, or someone else from the crew comes to visit, but they always call me River or Dr. Song. The children have no idea that I'm Melody.

"I have a new story for you. It's about the day of Melody's birth." I told them. "But most people know this as the time the Doctor rose higher than he ever had, then crashed and failed more than he had ever failed before." I began.

I then wove the tail of how Melody's mother and Melody had been held against their will at a place called Demon's Run. Melody was only a few hours old. Melody's mother only had two minutes to talk to Melody, before the evil lady took Melody away.

"And do you know what the mother told her? She told Melody "I wish I could tell you that you'll be loved, that you'll be safe, and cared for, and protected, but this isn't the time for lies. What you are going to be, Melody, is very, very brave." And for some reason, even though Melody was a very young baby, she never forgot those words. Never. In fact, Melody remembers them still, to this day." I said.

I went on to say how, while the evil lady took Melody away from her mother, the Doctor was raising an army. An army to rescue Melody and her mother. In the beginning, it seemed like the Doctor did the impossible. He had rescued Melody and her mother, without killing anyone. But then, it was realized that it was all a trap, and Melody was in the hands of the evil lady. The Doctor, after all his hard work, had lost. He had lost his best friend's daughter. At the time, he didn't know who Melody was yet. Then the older Melody appeared after the battle. And told the Doctor something. She explained how it had to happen, for her to become who she is now. She told the Doctor, how that tiny little baby Melody, and her, are the same person. And so, with new hope, the Doctor went on new adventures as he looked for Melody.

As I ended the story, my children were in awe. I didn't understand why, because though the plots were interesting, I really wasn't the best story teller. I'm an archaeologist. I state facts, my story telling skills really aren't up to par.

"Mummy, is the Doctor real?" Centurion asked. He always asked that question once I was finished with another story about the Doctor.

"Yes he is. And right now, I know he's traveling the universe on a new adventure." I said, kissing his forehead.

"Have you met him? The Doctor that is." asked Tardis.

"My dear, I've met the Doctor multiple times, and he is always putting others before himself, and I believe he always will." I told her.

"Now, it's time for bed all of you." I said.

All of a sudden, the children were in bed, and we were in their room. I was sitting by the window in my pyjamas, and Centurion, Tardis, and Donna were practically asleep. The one nice thing about living in a hard drive is that if you decide for it to be a certain time of day, it becomes that time instantly. It made it easier for me to put the kids to bed. I held my diary in my hands and flipped through the pages. So many memories. So much had happened between us. So many times, I thought that I was truly going to die, and so many times I lived. In a way, I was still living now. I kissed the children goodnight and went to my room across the hall.

My room was simple. There were white walls, a wooden desk, a window seat, a bathroom, a bookshelf, and my queen sized bed. The bed had TARDIS blue sheets and pillows, with white trim. I slipped under the sheets. They were as soft as always. There was a lamp was beside my bed. I flipped it on. I wasn't ready for sleep just yet.

I kept looking through my diary. I missed the Doctor. I missed him so much. He was my husband. My Doctor. He was always ranting about time and we would always argue about how to fly the TARDIS. I would always win, though he would never admit it. I loved how whenever he came back from whatever adventure he'd been on, he'd say to me "Hi honey, I'm home."

I didn't realize that I'd been crying until I tasted tears. I missed him. I missed him so much. The only thing that hurt worse than this was when I thought I killed him. It wouldn't hurt so much if I knew I would see him again. But I wouldn't. I was here, in a place where the Doctor would never be able to reach me. I'd never kiss him again, I'd never hold him again, and I'd never see his clever face again. I'd never have the urge to slap him, I'd never watch him work under pressure, and I'll never again hear him say "Hi honey, I'm home. "And no matter how much I'll call for him, this time, the Doctor won't come. And with that thought, I fell asleep.

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**Yay! My bold and italics are working again! Please review and tell me what you think! I love hearing from you! **

**-Princessa Mia**


	4. Chapter 4

"Centurion! Tardis! Donna! Do any of you want tea?" I call to my 10 year old children. They were outside playing on the swing set by the house.

"What kind of tea is it?" Donna calls back.

"Herbal lemon!"

"Alright, I'll have some!" Donna says.

"Me too!" says Tardis.

"Me three!" says Centurion. "Are there any jammy dodgers? The strawberry ones?" He asks.

"Yes! Come and have some!" I tell them. They all come running inside.

As they sip their herbal lemon tea and much on their strawberry jammy dodgers, Centurion asks me.

"Mummy, does the Doctor like jammy dodgers?"

I laugh. "Like them? He loves them. In fact..." There was a pause. Everyone leans in, sensing a story coming on. "One time, he made the Daleks believe his jammy dodger was a self-destruct button for his TARDIS."

"What happened?" Tardis asked.

And that is how I began my tale. But, I explained how the story didn't start there. To know the real story you must go back to the beginning, when Prime Minister Churchill calls. He needs help to win World War II. But the Doctor had mixed up the times and came two months later. Meanwhile, the Brits had come up with a new weapon. Or so they thought. They believed that their inventor created the Daleks. But that wasn't what happened and the Doctor knew it. He knew that the Daleks were aliens, and he knew that they were the enemy.

Eventually the Dalek's true plan was revealed. They wanted to wipe out the entire population of humans and repopulate the Earth with their own race. The Daleks were beamed up to their ship to create pure Daleks to repopulate Earth. The Doctor had to do something. So, he took his TARDIS up to the ship and passed off his jammy dodger as a self-destruct button. He threatened to destroy the ship if the Daleks tried to wipe out Earth's population. But eventually, the Daleks outsmarted the Doctor.

"No one outsmarts the Doctor! Never!" interrupted Centurion.

"Everyone is outsmarted once in a while. It can happen to the Doctor, it's just a rare case. Now listen to the story." I said.

I then continued to tell how the inventor that was thought to have created the Daleks, was actually a cyborg created by the Daleks. The Daleks implanted a bomb on the inventor that could wipe out humanity. The Daleks gave the Doctor a choice, he could kill the last of his most deadly enemy, or he could save the human race and let the Daleks escape. It was probably one of the hardest decisions the Doctor had to make.

"And do you know what?" I asked them. "The Doctor chose humanity. In the end, he was able to stop the bomb and save them all, but while doing so, he let the Daleks run away. And he would probably never have the chance to destroy them all again." I ended.

"Why are the Daleks so bad?" Tardis asked.

"The Daleks have no moral compass for one thing. They don't know right from wrong and they'll do anything. And I mean ANYTHING, to get what they want." I told them.

"Have you ever met a Dalek?" asked Donna.

"Yes I have. And I don't want to meet them ever again thank you very much." I said. "Another thing about them is that they don't know how to feel. They can't feel happy, or sad, or love. Every once in a while though, their self-preservation instincts kick in, and so sometimes they feel fear, but not often." I explained. Centurion yawned.

"Are you tired?" I asked him. He nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"Well I am too. Let's go to sleep now alright?" I said.

And so all of a sudden the children were in their beds, dressed in their pyjamas, fast asleep. I kissed them all goodnight and went to the kitchen. The dishes were all put away, but I decided on another cup of herbal lemon tea before bed. I brought out the leftover jammy dodgers. Ah, the Doctor and his jammy dodgers. I remember the nights when the Doctor couldn't sleep, his mind was too full of memories and ideas for the future. I would usually find him in the TARDIS control room drinking his herbal lemon tea and eating his jammy dodgers. I'd pour myself a cup and sit with him. Sometimes the Doctor wouldn't stop talking, other nights, he'd barely say a word, and we would sit together in comfortable silence. Sometimes he'd ask me a funny question. One night he asked me.

"Do you suppose that the Daleks are allergic to anything? Maybe they have a weakness. No that's preposterous. Their only weakness is me, and it's not exactly a weakness is it? I'm just a nuisance that's in their way. And no matter how much they try, they will never be able to shake me. I don't know. They have to have a weakness. They could be allergic to pears. The pear acids could destroy them. Pears. They're so horrible. They're worse than Daleks. The pears can destroy the world. The rubbish things. They'll make us all choke to death."

And it was all I could do not to laugh. So I would reply with a smile.

"Well, whatever it is sweetie, I know you'll figure out a way to fix it."

"Of course I will. I'm the Doctor." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself, not just tell me.

"Yes. You are." And then I gave him a quick kiss, but he would bring me close and kiss me a bit longer. We stayed that way for what seemed like days. When we came up for air, he had this look in his eye. I couldn't quite place it, but it seemed as if for just one moment, he stopped carrying 900 years of guilt on his shoulders. All that trouble was forgotten, and he was himself. Just living in the moment. There was no past, no future, just the present. And we were together. That was all either of us could ask for.

All the jammy dodgers were gone and the teapot was drained. I cleaned up the kitchen then went to bed. As I slipped under the covers I thought about the Doctor. I've been thinking about him more and more often. I thought about him every day, and some days it was every hour. At times I wondered if I was going completely mad. I was stuck in a hard drive with only my mind for goodness sake. I will never see the Doctor again. I feel trapped, here on my own. The crew that I used to see often, I don't talk to them much anymore. They remind me too much of the library and my last hours with him. I can handle so many memories of him, but those hurt the most, because they were my most recent memories, and for the first time, he didn't recognize who I was, and that hurt me most of all.

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**Please review! Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a great weekend! :) **

**Keep smiling, keep writing, and keep being yourself :)**

**-Princessa Mia**


	5. Chapter 5

"Mum? Where's the jam?" 12 year old Tardis called.

"It's in the pantry. 3rd shelf from the top." I called back. I was in my room, dressing for the day. I decided to wear a dark pair of jeans, with a white blouse and black leather jacket. I felt dangerous, not the stay at home mom I usually was. All I needed now was a gun. Any gun would do. Laser, pistol, stun gun. Heck, I wouldn't even turn down a rifle, though it would be pretty bulky.

"CAL?" I called. CAL appeared. We had this unsaid agreement that if I wanted something, all I had to do was call and ask.

"Yes? How can I help you River Song?" She asked.

"I don't suppose you could give me a gun could you? Just a pistol with a lock box to put it in. I don't want the kiddies to get into it."

"You plan on giving your children guns?"

"No, but now that I think about it, that would be a good idea wouldn't it be? Goodness knows that Centurion will just find mine and build copies for everyone else behind my back."

"Can you please repeat your request?"

"I would like four pistols and an outdoor shooting range for practice please." I said.

"I am now gathering the data. The shooting range is now ready."

All of a sudden, I was in the shooting range with Tardis, Centurion, and Donna. CAL had lined up the three silver pistols on a nearby table, and had graciously included all the ammo we could ever need. The fourth gun was at my waist in a gun sleeve CAL provided for me.

"Mother, why did you bring us here? What's going on? You didn't tell us a thing." said Donna.

"Well kids, it's time to teach you how to shoot." I told them.

"You mean with real guns?! Awesome!" said Centurion.

"Are you sure Mum? We're still only kids." said Tardis.

I put my hands on my hips.

"Kiddies, I was firing guns since I could walk. You're all 12 years old. You can fire a gun. You just have to know where to fire it." I reach for my gun and turn around, facing the targets. Then I shoot. Bull's-eye. I turn back. The kiddies looked at me in awe.

"Now then, let's start."

For the next hour I show them how to put the safety on, take it off, how to hold the pistol and how to shoot, and when not to fire it. By the end of the session, they had all successfully landed a couple bullets on the target. There weren't any bull's-eyes, but they were starting to get the hang of it.

I had the feeling that the Doctor once told me that he liked that I could shoot a gun. Or maybe I was imagining things. No, I wasn't. We were back to back and the Doctor was threatening... What was he threatening? Anyway, not the point. The thing was what he said to them.

"This is my friend River, nice hair, clever, and has her own gun. And unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I shouldn't like that, kind of do a bit."

"Thank you sweetie." I said. Then the Doctor said to the... Enemies. We'll call them enemies.

"I know your team players and everything but she'll definitely kill the first three of you-"

"Oh the first seven easy."

"The first seven, really?"

"Eight for you honey."

"Stop it!"

"Make me!"

"Ok, maybe I will."

I would have liked to kiss him then, but we were surrounded by the... Oh, what were they? I can't even remember what I was facing. But I know that I couldn't have kissed him at the time. The downsides to always facing danger.

"Mum, are you alright?" asked Tardis, bringing me back to the present.

"I'm fine. I think that's enough practice for today though. Come on; let's go back to the house."

And so we were back.

"Mum, are you sure you're alright? You've been acting funny these past few days." Tardis said.

"I'm completely fine. Just remembering an old friend of mine."

"What happened to him? Or is it her?" She asked.

"It was him. And I had to go away so he could go on. And so he's out there somewhere I don't really know where." I sighed.

"Was he our father?" Centurion asked. I stiffened. What was I supposed to tell them? Yes? The Doctor was who I was paired with when CAL did the crossovers and inferences for the kids. Should I tell them that they were only just computer programs? Or should I just say no and let the conversation drop?

"He's probably the closest thing to a father you three have, but he isn't your father. Does that make sense?" I asked them.

"I guess." said Donna. It looked like Centurion wanted to say more, but one look from Tardis and he clamped right up.

"Right then. Who wants tea?" I asked, heading to the kitchen.

"Herbal lemon?" Donna asked.

"You know it." I replied. Nowadays, that was all I'd make.

"I'll take some." Tardis says.

The others added that they would like some too. I started to heat the water for the tea.

"Oh Doctor. I miss you. I love you." I brushed my lips, remembering his first kiss with me. He had no clue what to do. He kept holding me, then letting go. It was quite amusing. But at the same time, it hurt. I had already kissed him before, but for him, it was his first, and he might've rejected me. But he didn't. At the same time, he didn't encourage me either. I missed him and his awkward moments. I just missed him.

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No one's P.O. V.

"What do you think she meant, that he's the closest thing to a father, but he wasn't our father?" Donna asked, turning on the television.

"Maybe he is our father by blood, but we'll never meet him, so he doesn't seem like our father." Tardis said.

"Or maybe our actual father died, but he was our father's best mate and would have taken on the role of a father." said Centurion.

"Whoever he is, Mum loves him, doesn't she?" Donna asks.

"Yeah, she really does. And she misses him. A lot." said Centurion.

"And she won't tell us who it is." added Tardis.

"Wouldn't it be nice if it was the Doctor?" asked Centurion.

"Yeah. But he'll never come." said Tardis.

"Maybe we just have to make a wish. That's how it is sometimes. Make a wish and the Doctor will come." said Donna.

"We should wish for the man Mum misses. That way she'll smile more." said Centurion.

"We'll wish for both." decided Tardis. She took Donna and Centurion's hands in hers so they formed a line.

"Close your eyes." She said.

They closed their eyes.

"Now repeat after me. I wish that the man Mum misses and the Doctor will come find us."

"I wish that the man Mum misses and the Doctor will come find us." said Centurion and Donna said.

"Now really focus. Really wish for it."

They all sat in silence, thinking for a moment.

"Say it once more." whispered Tardis.

"I wish that the man Mum misses and the Doctor will come find us." They all said in unison.

All of a sudden, they heard a knock at the door. They opened their eyes in surprise. Had they willed it to be true? They looked at each other for a moment. The knock came again.

"Someone answer the door!" River called.

Tardis went to the door. She fumbled with the lock and finally managed to open the door.

And there he stood. Tall and ready for anything.

"H-hello." said Tardis.

"Hi. I'm the Doctor. Is River home?" He smiled as he waltzed through the door.

"Mum. There's someone hear to see you." Centurion called nervously.

"Who is it? We weren't expecting anyone today." River said as she came out of the kitchen. Then she saw him and stopped short.

"Hi honey, I'm home." The Doctor said.

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**Please review! I love the comments so much and they help a lot. I hope that this was longer and that you all enjoyed it! :) Keep writing everyone! **

**-Princessa Mia**


	6. Chapter 6

"Hi honey, I'm home." He said. There he was. Standing in my living room, looking straight. At. Me.

"CAL!" I yelled. She instantly appeared next to the Doctor with Dr. Moon.

"Yes? What is it Dr. Song?" She asked me.

"Would you care to explain to me why there's a program of the Doctor in my living room?" I ask, my voice wavering.

"Dr. Song, this is no program. He had been downloaded and saved into the hard drive." states CAL.

"Is this true Moon?" I ask.

"Yes, the Doctor has been downloaded." He states. I take a deep breath. This cannot be happening. This is happening. It can't be, usually I take everything head on, but for once, I can't believe my eyes.

"Thank you CAL, Dr. Moon, you may go." I tell them. They disappear before my eyes.

"River." The Doctor takes a step towards me. I take a step back. I don't want to touch him and wake up. This has to be a dream CAL gave me.

"River. I'm really here. It's ok. I'm here." He spoke soothingly as if talking to a scared animal. He came towards me again, I stood frozen in place.

"It's OK Mother. We wished him here. We made a wish and he came." Tardis explained, smiling. The Doctor's eyes never left my face.

"She called you 'Mother' don't tell me you had an affair while I was gone." The Doctor said.

"Never Sweetie." I smile, and take another step back.

"So whose are they then?" He took another step towards me. He had that flirty face of his on.

"Their mine of course. Just mine."

"Is that so?"

"Of course it is. What did you think?"

"I was thinking that you had kids I was gone. Who's the lucky bloke of a father? Is it Dave? Or is it other Dave?" He started to look mad. And believe me you don't want him mad.

"He's not here. He's gone. Maybe dead." Donna says quietly.

"I believe that his best mate is gone too. He would've been our dad, but he couldn't be here." Centurion piped up.

"I think our father left us as kids. He never really knew us." Tardis whispered. The Doctor turned to face them all. There's a moment of silence while the Doctor takes them in.

"What are your names?" He finally asks.

"Centurion." Centurion says, standing up straight. His red hair seems to shine. He reminds me so much of Amy, so outgoing.

"Donna. Donna Spoilers." says Donna shyly. She ducks her head, chocolate curls bouncing. "I'm the only one with a middle name."

"I'm Tardis." Tardis states. Her blue eyes flash, and her black hair makes her look sort of mysterious. She looks like she could be the oldest, even though they're all triplets. The Doctor's eyes harden.

"River. Are these kids mine?" He asks, his voice hard. I say nothing. He turns back and looks me straight in the eye. "Melody Pond. Are these children mine?" He asks again. More demanding this time. The kids gasp. They found the truth. I'm Melody Pond. The girl from the Doctor stories. I look to see their faces of disbelief. They can't believe it. Centurion looks like he won't believe it. I look back at the Doctor, still waiting for an answer. I take a deep breath.

"Kiddies, let me talk to the Doctor alone. I want you to go to your room alright? And don't come back until I say." I tell them. Centurion's shoulders slump and they all look as if they want to argue, but one look from me tells them otherwise. They all quietly go to their room.

"River. You still haven't answered me." The Doctor's voice was low. I take another deep breath and went to sit down at the sofa.

"They're programs. CAL gave them to me a few years ago. She did some crossover and match-ups to create an idea of what our would-be children would look like and act like. So in a way, they are your children, just like they're mine." I explain. I go on.

"I knew I was going to be stuck here for eternity, and I there was always a small part of me that believed that one day we might have a family. Kids we could take through time with us. I know it was crazy but now that I was here, I could do that. I could raise a family. So I did. I named them those names so I wouldn't forget that they're programs, but at the same time I'd remember you." I was starting to become worked up, but I couldn't stop. I had to tell him everything.

"I thought about you every day. I told the kids my story. Your story. They grew up knowing about the Doctor and Melody Pond, and the TARDIS. They knew who you were since they could crawl. I wouldn't let myself forget you. I couldn't. I missed you so much. I can't even see the archaeology crew as much as I used to because they remind me of my last hours with you." Tears were running down my cheeks.

"River." He whispered. He looked to be in so much pain. He rarely saw me cry.

"River. I'm here. I'm right here." He wiped away my tears. "I'll always come back River. Always. He held my face to his. He kissed my forehead. Then my lips. His arms found their way around my waist and mine went around his neck. Then I knew he wasn't a program. A program would never be this good. I could've stayed that way forever. When we came up for air, he just held me. It was nice to be in his arms again. As I calmed down, he rubbed my back and stroked my hair, until my breathing returned to normal. I asked him.

"Do you want some tea Sweetie? I have some herbal lemon and jammy dodgers in the cupboard."

He smiled. "I'd love some." He taps my nose. As we go to the kitchen, I ask him another question.

"So how did you wind up here Sweetie?" He wasn't the type to come back and download himself on a hard drive and give up the rest of his life. It wasn't his style. If he didn't have more regeneration cycles left, he might come here eventually. Maybe. But he still had his 11 face and he had at least one more regeneration to go.

"Oh you know, just in the area and decided to stop by." He straightened his bow tie. I give him a look.

"Ok. So besides being in the area, I found a way for you to come home with me. Back to the TARDIS."

"There's no way out sweetie." I said lightly. "I gave up my brain for memory space for CAL, my body burned up, and then what was left of me was saved in the hard drive thanks to you." I smile sweetly.

"Yes." He said slowly. "What you don't know is your body didn't burn up. You had it downloaded with your brain during that blip in the computer when you gave up your brain for more memory space for CAL. However, CAL only needed the memory space you gave her so that all the thousands of people that used to be saved on the hard-drive could leave and go back to the real world. Now that they're out, CAL can still use your brain space, but it's more of a convenience, not a necessity, so you could actually leave with me."

I froze. I could leave? Really? I could go back to the Doctor and travel through time and space with him? It sounded too good to be true. I thought about it. His logic made sense. There was a slight chance at the time that my entire self would be downloaded, but it was so small a percentage, I didn't even bother mentioning it to his tenth regeneration Doctor. I didn't want to get his hopes up. Plus, it felt like I died when I went into the hard drive. So of course I thought I died. But I guess not.

I could really go back with the Doctor. I could be with him and never leave his side. We'd be together, saving the earth, going on adventures, and traveling everywhere and in every time. Everything would be back to how it used to be.

But... What about the kids? Tardis, Centurion, and Donna? They'd just disappear from existence once I left, wouldn't they? I had become quite attached to them. I even believed that I loved them. I couldn't leave them and erase them from history.

"Mum? You're not going to leave us are you? We aren't programs are we? We're real. We have to be real. Mum?" Donna asked softly. I turned around to see my three children standing in the hallway eavesdropping on our conversation. They all had fear in their eyes and a few glistening tears. I remember when I named them, my plan was to always remember that they were programs, but soon enough they grew on me and it was harder and harder to remember that.

I took a deep breath. Again. Then I spoke.

"You three are my children. No matter what you are, you are my children. And I love you all very much. But, yes, you three are programs. CAL blessed me with you three. I couldn't ask for better kids. The Doctor is who I was paired with when CAL gave you to me, so you may have some of his traits." I explained.

Donna began to cry.

"Oh Donna, come here." I held out my arms, but she shrank back into Tardis' protective arms. Centurion didn't look too upset. He quickly wiped away his tears and crossed his arms, leaning up against the wall.

"So are you really Melody Pond? All those stories were about you and the Doctor?" He asked.

"Yes, that's me. Melody Pond."

"So..." He said, turning to the Doctor.

"You kissed my Grandmother?! I don't care if I'm a program or not, that woman" pointing to me "is my Mum. And you went and kissed her Mum?" He accused. Donna looked up. Her face was red, but she had stopped crying.

"Technically, she kissed me. Not only that, but I didn't even know she was River's Mum." The Doctor said, looking uncomfortable. "And then I went to Rory and brought him along in the TARDIS. You have me to thank that your mother was even born."

Donna spoke up. "Did you really graffiti every sign in the world to get the Doctor's attention when you went on the Pandorica adventure. Mum?" She struggled with the last word.

"Well." I looked at them all with that "I'm River Song. Of course I did." look.

"He wouldn't answer his phone." I stated.

The Doctor smiled and looked down. Like Donna sometimes does, I realize.

"My question is, how did you end up here in the first place." Tardis asked me. I noticed that she didn't call me Mum. I didn't say anything for a minute. Here the kids were, starting to accept that they were programs and they get right down to business and ask their questions. Questions I had never wanted to answer, but I did. I owed them the truth.

"Well, I had sent a message to the Doctor asking for help on a mission." I said carefully. "But he received it too soon, and a younger version that didn't know me came to me." I began my tale of the library. How once, thousands, millions, of people lived here. How the real world was overrun by the shadow pests. Killed people in seconds. Donna was thought to have been killed but in reality she had been saved on the hard drive by CAL. Every once in a while the Doctor would add to the story. I continued to say how the Doctor didn't know me, and he was so confused about my presence. I had his sonic screwdriver after all. I needed him to trust me and so I did the only thing I could do without revealing anymore spoilers. I whispered his true name.

"What was it? I mean, what is his name?" Centurion asked. I just smiled and shook my head.

"That is one secret I will never tell." I said.

"Please remember that I'm sitting right here." The Doctor said, sort of annoyed. I patted his hand.

"Oh sweetie, you'll never be forgotten. Just misplaced." I said. Donna laughed and Tardis cracked a smile. I decided to continue with the story. I continued to say how the Doctor was given one day to get all the people out of the hard drive and transported off of the planet. But in order to take them out of the hard drive, they needed more memory space, more room. The Doctor wanted to give up some of his brain space but I wouldn't let him. It would have killed him. So instead, I punched the Doctor across the face, knocking him out.

When he came to, he was handcuffed to a nearby pole thanks to me. He had asked me what was with me and handcuffs. I smiled and held a finger to my lips.

"Spoilers." I had said. Meanwhile I was wiring myself up to the computer and getting ready to download my memory space. The Doctor tried to stop me, but the handcuffs were in the way.

I told him about the singing towers and how they sang so beautifully, and meanwhile he had cried. I told him how the older version of him gave me his sonic screwdriver. I told him everything I could without causing a huge disruption in time and space. And then, I told him goodbye and downloaded my brain.

By that point I should have been dead. But, there are those days when everyone lives. As it turned out, my body had downloaded as well and the Doctor downloaded an imprint of my soul before I completely died. And so, here I was. Saved in the data core. Alive.

"The rest is history." I ended. "Here I've been and I thought I'd never see the Doctor again. But here he is." I took his hand and looked at him. I felt so content to be with him again. The Doctor kissed my forehead. The kids froze for a second. They'd never seen anyone treat me with that kind of affection. Tardis smiled, while Donna looked shocked and Centurion regarded the Doctor with a protective glare. Was he being protective about me? Only time would tell.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So out of curiosity, which of River's kids is your favorite? Tell me what you see their personality as.**

**Please review and tell me what you think! The reviews mean a lot to me! **

**-Princessa Mia**


	7. Chapter 7

No one's P.O.V.

That night as the kids got ready for bed, they contemplated all that had happened that day. Donna was sitting down in front of a vanity mirror and table while Tardis brushed her hair. Centurion was fiddling around with wires and electronic gizmos, trying to copy the Doctor's sonic screwdriver. It was something he always dreamed of doing since he was little. Now though, that the Doctor was here and getting close to his Mum, he wasn't sure if he wanted to copy him anymore.

"Mum looked really happy, didn't she?" Donna asked, watching in the mirror while Tardis began braiding Donna's hair.

"Happier in a long time." agreed Tardis.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if I like the Doctor with Mum." said Centurion.

"Why not? She's happy isn't she?" Tardis asked.

"But she's OUR mum. And all of a sudden the Doctor waltzes in and now all Mum can focus on is him, and besides, I think the Doctor will eventually just break Mum's heart. I don't really trust him." said Centurion.

"I think you're just jealous. We wished for the Doctor and for our father who's not our father. The Doctor is both. Not to mention, we all loved Melody Pond in the stories and it turns out that Mum is Melody. We had always thought that Melody and the Doctor should always be together. Plus, we wanted the Doctor here so Mum could be happy." said Tardis.

"I am not jealous!" Centurion retorted.

"Sure you are, it's only natural. You used to be the only guy in the family, and now the Doctor is taking your entire spotlight." Tardis said.

"As I said, I'm not jealous." Centurion told her.

"Alright then, over-protective. You don't want to see Mum with anyone and get hurt, and so you dislike any man that comes near her except for you." Tardis counters.

"I am not! I just don't think it's fair that the Doctor can come out of nowhere and sweep Mum off her feet like that." Centurion said.

"But now that he's here, Mum is going to leave us, and never come back. She's going to let us disappear forever." Donna said quietly. She looked like she was about to cry. The room was silent. They had finally come to the whole "we just found out we're programs" business.

"Well, we were never real to begin with. We're just computer programs." Centurion said quietly.

"Mum's a program now. So is the Doctor, since they're in hard drive." Donna pointed out.

"No, Mum and the Doctor are code. Not programs. There's a difference." Tardis explained. "Codes can be retranslated to matter, while programs are stuck in the hard drive. They are generated by the computer and cannot leave the computer. If the computer no longer needs them they can just delete the programs."

There was silence as they processed that. At any moment after River left, they could be deleted. Gone. Forever.

"What are we going to do?" Donna asked.

"What _can_ we do? Mum's going to leave and that's going to be the end of it." Tardis said.

"What if, we were able to make her stay?" Centurion asked. Donna looked up and Tardis turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked, a little bit of hope showing through.

"We have to show her how she doesn't want to leave. Why she wants to stay. And, while we're at it, we can put up some tests for the Doctor to see if he deserves Mum." Centurion grinned.

"So... Be really good? Make her food? How would we do that? _Plus_ come up with tests for the Doctor?" Tardis asked.

"Oh, I have a few ideas." Centurion said. And so, the planning began.

XXXXXXXXXX

River's P.O.V.

As I brushed my teeth in my bathroom, I peeked into my room to see the Doctor looking through my papers on my desk. He was still wearing his dress pants, suspenders, button down shirt, jacket, and bow tie. He refused to take it off. It was so odd for me. The last time I saw him, it he was in his previous generation. And now, he was my Doctor again. I play back that last time in my mind.

He had been wearing blue. All blue. It looked good on him, but it was funny to see him in _Converse_ shoes and no bowtie. He was so confused by my presence, and I could see he was worried for what his future had in store for him if he had given me, an _archeologist_ of all things, his sonic screwdriver, not to mention the fact that I knew his true name. That might have scared him worse frankly.

Then Donna seemed to have died. But the computer said that she had been saved. We figured at first that the computer meant her body or something, since her face was on one of those statues. He was heartbroken, and was starting to show more emotion. Usually I would have found this to be a good thing, but at the time we were all in a life-or- death situation and that was when he needed to keep his head the most. And then, we found that all the people were stuck in the hard drive. The Doctor stubbornly wanted to use himself for the download, but I wouldn't allow it. And so I did the only thing I could. I punched him and knocked him out. I smiled at the memory. The next thing he knew, he was handcuffed to a pole, and I was getting ready to download.

"Handcuffs? Why do you have handcuffs?" He asked me.

"Spoilers, you'll find out eventually." I told him. I told him goodbye with tears running down my cheeks, and the next thing I knew, I was here, saved in the Data Core. And I'm so grateful for that.

The Doctor picked up my diary, bringing me out of my reverie, not opening the book, but just holding it. He ran his fingers over the worn, TARDIS blue cover. So many memories in that little book. So much had happened. I finished up brushing my teeth and called to the Doctor.

"Everything all right Sweetie?" I asked from the bathroom, now trying to fix my hair a little. More of just an excuse to stay where I was and act casual.

"Yes. Yes. Everything's fine honey." He seemed as if he had just woken up out of a trance. Something was definitely on his mind. I went over to him, stood on the other side of the desk and looked him straight in the eye.

"What is it?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Do you remember the first time you met me?" He asked. I laughed.

"How could I not? I kept trying to kill you, but you knew practically my every move. And when it finally seemed like I had succeeded, I realized that I didn't want you dead." I told him. He kissed my forehead.

"And thank goodness for that, or else I wouldn't be able to save you now."

I didn't say anything for a moment. I wanted to go, but how could I leave my kids? I really felt like I was their mother. I couldn't just abandon them.

"Doctor, I've done a lot in my life. I've killed people, I've saved people, and faced more in one lifetime than what some people might never face in their life. But, for once, I don't know if I can push through it. I don't know if I can leave without Tardis, Centurion, and Donna." I said quietly looking away. The Doctor tilted my chin up so I would look at him.

"River. You have to remember. They are only programs. They aren't real. They look and act as if they have feelings, but the computer just generates that image. They don't feel anything." The Doctor said. He looked a bit upset himself. Then he controlled himself.

"Right then." He said looking at his watch. "It's been approximately 15minutes since I arrived here. It's the same day you died actually. Everyone is already gone, including Donna and last generation me. The shadows gave me an entire day, but, we only have about two hours left to get you out and leave." He explained.

"So how long have I been in here?" I asked.

"Oh, about, 12 hours." The Doctor told me.

"12 hours. I've had the kids 12 years. Every hour is approximately a year here." I figured out.

"For the most part, yeah." He said, agreeing with me.

I opened my mouth to say how we could stay for a year in here, then I could say goodbye to the kids. But that was ridiculous. It would just be harder. I had to leave as soon as possible if I wanted to go and actually live again. And if I wanted to stay by the Doctor's side for the rest of my life. I don't think I could handle parting with him a second time.

I led the Doctor to the bed and slipped under the covers. The Doctor sat on the other side, tucking me in, then running a hand over the sheets.

"They're TARDIS blue." He remarked, talking about the covers.

"Of course they are sweetie, what other color would they be?" I asked, brushing him off.

"I don't know, red maybe, or green. No, that's too Christmassy. Orange is cool. I like orange. I should start wearing orange-" I cut him off with a kiss.

"Blue is best." I whisper to him.

"Right." He says, looking into my eyes, trying to form a single thought. "We'll stick to blue. Blue is great. I like blue." He says.

"Good." I tell him. I give him another quick kiss and then lay down. "Goodnight Sweetie." I turn off the light.

"Goodnight River." He murmurs back. And with that, he slips into bed and we fall fast asleep.

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**Notice: This Fanfic is currently on hold since I am working on my other Doctor Who fanfic Letters Never Sent. Its summer though, so hopefully I'll come back to this soon. **

**IMPORTANT: if you have ideas for tests the kids could have for the Doctor to see if he deserves River please let me know! It will help me update faster!**

**-Princessa Mia**


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